One player on the 49ers that could use a fresh start

Earlier on Wednesday, we talked about the wide receiver position for the San Francisco 49ers but left out Marquise Goodwin. The veteran wideout came into the season as the team’s starting “X” receiver, and Kyle Shanahan gave Goodwin every opportunity to flourish. Goodwin ended up finishing the season with 12 receptions and four drops, one touchdown that was manufactured for him and went on injured reserve after Week 11. It was a disappointing season for the speedster who never could get it going in 2019.

Every beat writer went through their team and listed one player that could benefit from a fresh start. ESPN’s Nick Wagoner thinks the 49ers option should be Marquise Goodwin:

Goodwin has been through a lot the past few years, and he ended 2019 on injured reserve with knee and foot issues. By the time Goodwin’s season came to an early end, he had fallen in the depth chart after struggling to produce consistently. The Niners would save a little less than $4 million on the salary cap by parting ways with Goodwin, and it would also allow Goodwin, a world-class long jumper, to follow through on his intention to qualify for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. — Nick Wagoner

Wagoner has a good point when he mentions what Goodwin has been through the last couple of years. There is no way for us to quantify Goodwin’s emotions and how it affected his play. On the field, the team gave Goodwin a fair shot, and he didn’t come through. It’s never as simple as that. Just like with Dante Pettis, we know he is talented. We don’t know what the root of his season was, but we know something is up. There’s no need to speculate on either player, but it’s apparent that Goodwin’s time is up with San Francisco. A fresh start is best for both sides. He can contribute for a team out there, but, based on what we saw this past season, that’s not going to be on a Super Bowl-caliber team. It’d be fun to see Goodwin compete in the Olympics.

Is there anyone out there that thinks Goodwin should be back in 2020?